The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction and production for use in connection with increasing the ecological efficiency of energy production.
Biotechnological production processes, used to produce fuels and chemicals from organic starting materials, biomasses, are called biorefinement. Today's oil refineries, in fact, are based on the chemical methods, which were in use for biomass processing since the 1800s. Also involved is the strong development of microbiology starting in the mid-1800s, which has significantly contributed to our understanding of, among other things, naturally occurring degradation processes; they occur because of living organisms invisible to the naked eye. Some of these organisms are able to convert biomass degradation products to economically useful products, which can not only be utilized for energy production, but also as feedstock in various industrial chemical processes.
There have been extended periods, particularly after World War II during which crude oil and other fossil fuels were relatively inexpensive. The so-called petrochemical industry, which produces the chemical fractions that act as fuel and feedstock for other processes, is built upon these inexpensive raw materials. Burning fossil fuels has in turn led to environmentally damaging developments, such as acid rain, greenhouse gases, and possibly climate change. Energy crises have shown the vulnerability of the crude oil based economic system in situations where the price of oil has rapidly increased, or the availability of fossil fuels has otherwise been compromised by, for example, crises or varying political agendas. It is therefore very prudent to develop bioprocess solutions, based on inexpensive biomass such as waste materials. The processing of waste materials also contributes to the formation of environmental protection solutions within the economic system. The waste used can also be gaseous.
The metabolic reactions of micro-organisms essentially often release chemical energy from organic material. For this reason, the external energy consumption of microbial processes is usually low and the energy balance positive. This, and the fact that with biotechnical processes the same equipment can be used to carry out different reactions from variable raw materials, should be utilized as well as possible. Likewise, the thermal energy in gases can be utilized by committing it to the process. Similarly, the compounds in the gas can be made to react with the compounds in the process bath. This type of reaction can occur catalyzed by microbes and their enzymes. At the same time the environmental load of emissions from combustion plants are reduced.
Microbial metabolic reactions are mainly anabolic, related to the construction of cells, and catabolic i.e. cell energy usage. In some circumstances, microbes are content to just process the molecules in the environment, in order to change the conditions to be beneficial or to keep existing beneficial circumstances in place. These reactions may also contain symbiotic interactions between microbes. Sometimes bacterial cells consume more chemical energy than they need. The energy is then either stored in the cells, or bound to the large quantity of synthesized product without causing significant cell growth (cell division). This is often referred to as overflow metabolism.
Overflow metabolism is a verified phenomenon in the metabolism of many bacteria. It's not really a catabolic or an anabolic reaction. Bacteria using overflow metabolism neither use the chemical energy released in this reaction for their own needs, nor build new cell growth on this metabolism. In terms of the bacterial population the main purpose of overflow metabolism is to change the environment so that the conditions necessary for life are maintained or improved. Overflow metabolism occurs especially when abundant carbon and energy sources are available. Through this action, bacteria are trying to compete with other microbes, e.g. by consuming the extra nutrients so that they're out of the reach of competitors.
Since overflow metabolism is not related to bacterial growth, its regulatory mechanisms may differ from normal metabolic regulation, and remain largely unknown. The research has also been limited by the fact that, in terms of bacteria, they often represent extreme or atypical conditions. These reactions clearly play an important part in the circulation of matter in nature as a part of microbial metabolism. Thus, these reactions can be made use of industrially, for example in fuel or chemical production. Similarly they can be used to convert gaseous compounds to a liquid or solid phase.
Microbial metabolism is usually divided into energy-producing respiratory or fermentation (catabolic), and anabolic cell building-related reactions. At the cellular level, these reactions usually occur simultaneously. Additionally, microbial survival under different conditions may also be associated with other reactions, such as the emergence of highly durable forms (egg, bacterial spores) or overflow metabolism. The purpose of these reactions is to enable the survival of the bacterial population. Their industrial exploitation has not yet been specifically explored, although they may involve significantly rapid substance transitions or reactions.
When the microbial population is introduced to favorable circumstances, it generally moves to the active growth phase (exponential growth). It is preceded by the so-called lag phase, during which the population cells synthesize the enzymes and other molecules necessary for growth, and are thus “restocked.” Growth stage may be a multi-tiered, due, for example, to the tendency of microbes to first use up one main carbon and energy source from their substrate, and then move on to other sources. (e.g. secondary metabolism). Often this requires the synthesis of new enzymes, including hydrolytic.
Under natural conditions (non laboratory), microbes often occur in mixed populations. Their activities involve various interactions, such as commensalism. As an example, the pH control of the beginning of the small intestines has been linked to the co-operation of facultatively anaerobic bacteria (Hakalehto, 2008). Changes in gut flora will also affect the life of the host organism. Concerning obesity, it has been established that individuals with a tendency towards obesity have a greater concentration of butyrate producing bacteria in the first part of the colon.
For example, 2,3-butanediol production takes place in the intestinal tract in a much earlier stage; namely in the duodenum and the rest of the small intestine. The human body absorbs 80% of its nutrients in those regions. Rapid use of nutrients by the host as well as by the microbial flora is particularly fast, and therefore thick biofilms, such as in the colon, cannot form on the intestinal walls. Other anaerobic metabolic reactions include, for example: acetone-butanol fermentation, ethanol fermentation, methane fermentation and production of several organic acids.
The bacteria active within flora of the beginning of the small intestines, including the duodenum, consist particularly of those being highly bile resistant and commensalistically capable, even in those circumstances (Hakalehto et al, 2010). Additionally, under these circumstances because of the actions of, among others, Klebsiella sp. and Enterobacter sp. genera of bacteria, ethanol and 2,3-butanediol are formed. Thus, by exploring these intestinal conditions it is possible to learn useful things pertaining to the industrial production of these chemicals. The important thing is that the active microbes collaborate with many other microbial components, such as the Escherichia coli. A method for efficient culturing of these bacteria is presented in the Example 1. The pH drop caused by the organic acids produced by E. coli and other bacteria carrying out mixed acid fermentation is balanced by the neutral components, ethanol and 2,3 butanediol, produced by Klebsiella and Enterobacter group of bacteria. In all of these and most other bacterial metabolic reactions differing amounts of carbon dioxide, CO2, are released. If the carbon dioxide that was produced in the reaction or otherwise introduced to the process can be made to react or otherwise combine with the process bath, the amount of CO2 released is reduced. If the CO2 or carbon monoxide is a product of combustion or incineration and its release into the atmosphere when introduced to the bio-process is reduced as described above, then the general environmental burden and environmental impact of the specific combustion or incineration is lessened.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved method and apparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction and production that can be used for increasing the ecological efficiency of energy production. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the method and apparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction and production according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of increasing the ecological efficiency of energy production.